The Brazilian street food made from shredded chicken wrapped in dough is coxinha.
Coxinha is a teardrop-shaped Brazilian snack filled with chopped or shredded seasoned chicken. Its dough is commonly made with wheat flour and chicken broth, sometimes with mashed potato, and the filled shape is battered, coated in breadcrumbs or manioc flour, and deep-fried.
The teardrop shape is designed to resemble a chicken drumstick. The name coxinha means “little thigh” in Portuguese, referring to that resemblance. The snack is particularly associated with São Paulo state, and its modern form may have developed in Limeira during the 19th century.
Many versions include requeijão or Catupiry-style creamy cheese alongside the chicken, plus onion, parsley or scallions. A popular story links the shape to an imperial child who preferred chicken drumsticks, though that account is often presented as culinary lore rather than firmly established history. Brigadeiro is a chocolate confection, pão de queijo is cheese bread, and empada is a different type of filled pastry.